The Devil's Interval
by onekitten420
Summary: (Her Black Dahlia sequel) Five years have passed since The Young Master and his Butler left the Manor. Ciel learns Lizzy formed a contract with Claude and rushes back to London to try to save her. Meanwhile, Sebastian is getting weaker. He can't go this long with no soul to consume. He must find a way to break his contract with Ciel. (SebxMey Rin) (CielxLizzy) (Oh yeah, Claude too)
1. A Bitter Sweet Memory

(A/N-ZOMG guys i'm baaaaaackk! :D

So, I finally got around to writing it!)

**Prologue- A bitter sweet Memory**

It had to be a dream. This couldn't be real. This was the kind of things that only happen in her dreams.  
Mey Rin reached down and pinched her forearm just to be sure.  
God must have answered her prayers.  
Salvation.

"Be very quiet."  
Mey Rin, in the company of her Savior, glanced around nervously; worried they were being followed already.  
The man in black wrapped his trench coat around her shoulders, keeping it high enough to conceal her head.  
Mey Rin grasped at the sides and pulled it tightly across her face.  
"Don't draw any attention to yourself."  
The man guided the young woman closer to the city, away from anybody who could be watching or waiting for her return.

"Where are we going?" Mey Rin squeaked.  
"I can't tell you at this moment. Just wait, and I shall explain everything." The man replied.  
Mey Rin nodded silently, feeling an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach.  
She prayed this man wouldn't hurt her, or do her wrong.  
She wanted to trust most of all, she wanted out of that terrible job.  
Anything could be better than being forced to kill people.

The man snaked his arm around the small of her back as they came to a busy intersection.  
"Stay close. We're almost there." he assured the maid, his voice ever so stoic and certain.  
The two came upon a horse-drawn carriage parked not too far away. It was a lovely carriage.  
Mey Rin's mind raced as she wondered who this mysterious man was.

The driver looked none too pleased about having to wait on the man in black for so long.  
"I do apologize." the man said. "It took me a moment to find her."  
"Yeah yeah." the driver shot the couple an ugly look as he readied himself atop.

Mey Rin was quickly guided inside. She suddenly realized just how cold it was, no wonder the driver was so angry.  
The man in black shut the door behind them quickly, taking a seat across from the young woman.  
Mey Rin shrunk in her seat, feeling awfully intimidated by the man's presence. His gaze alone was enough to make her heart pound in her ears.

"Your name is Mey Rin, correct?"

A cold chill ran down the woman's spine.

"How did you know that?" she said, her voice shaking.

"I, or rather, _we_ have been watching you for quite a while now."

"We?"

"My Young Lord is seeking experienced workers such as yourself. He is certainly impressed by your marksmanship."

"Really?" Mey Rin responded weakly. Her heart sank; not another assassin job...

"However, your job will rarely involve the handling of weaponry, i'm afraid."

"That's fine." Mey Rin whispered. "As long as i'm away from it all. And I don't have to listen to _them_ any longer."

The man in black smiled, crosing his arm over his chest, he bowed slightly.

"I'm Sebastian." he said. "I am the Butler of the Phantomhive Manor."

Mey Rin thought it strange that a Butler would be doing such an odd job like this; hunting down suitable workers for his Lord's manor in such a way.

"Sebastian..."

"I welcome you to our ever growing family of Phantomhive employees. I am pleased to inform you that your new position shall be the Phantomhive Maid."

"Phantomhive Maid?"

Mey Rin liked the sound of that...No, she loved it.

"Thank you..." The young woman could no longer hold back; tears of joy ran down her cheeks.  
She quickly wiped them away with the man's coat.

Sebastian merely smiled in response.

"You can thank your new Master when we arrive at his Mansion."

"Yes." Mey Rin whispered, glancing out the window as that awful city dissapeared in the distance. "I will thank him..."

...

_Crash!_

_Boom!_

Thunder and lightning dueled fiercely in the clouds, raining down violently upon the countryside. The mansion walls shook ominously. The windows shook precariously in their frames.  
Mey Rin's body shot out of bed. She nearly lost her balance as she fought the sheets around her ankles. She rubbed her eyes and reached for her glasses. With a shaky breath, she slid her glasses over her ears. Another quick flash of lightning brought her to her senses. The soft drumming of rain bombarding the mansion filled her ears above everything else.  
Mey Rin clutched her chest gently as she sighed deeply in relief. Her heart palpitated wildly.  
Just as she felt the cold night air nipping at her skin, she felt a sudden warm touch upon her forearm.  
"Are you okay?"  
Mey Rin turned to her bed-mate, slowly slipping back beneath the covers as to not worry him any further.  
"I'm fine, Bard..." she whispered. "...Just nightmares I guess."  
"Nightmares?"  
The man drew the woman closer to his side, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Its not about...you know.."

The man's voice trailed off, Mey Rin sensed insecurity in his voice.  
"No." she shook her head in the dark. "It wasn't about _him_."  
The maid almost sneered; she curled up closely to Bard, finding a safe place between his neck and shoulder.  
"It was just the storm.."

Truth be told, Mey Rin adored Bard. However, she didn't love him. No matter how she tried to force herself to, it just wasn't there.  
Bard had been there for her when the Young Master and Sebastian left. Bard knew well about the maid and the butler's illicit affair. The man's empty promises had left Mey Rin in quite a depressive state. Bard for one, didn't like that at all.  
In a way, Bard felt more insulted about his abrupt departure more so than Mey Rin. Bard looked up to the Butler known as Sebastian. As far as Bard was concerned, Sebastian was a sorry excuse for a man. A real man wouldn't hurt a woman so deeply.

Try as he might, Mey Rin just didn't want a real relationship. But he loved her, and it didn't matter how long he had to wait. He was going to be there for her no matter what.

It had been five years since the Young Lord and his Butler had left. The servants remained in the house, as the Young Master had left it for them to do as they pleased. The former servants all had new jobs of course, with the exception of Tanaka off course. He was free to live his days drinking tea in the garden as usual.

Naturally, there was a huge uproar in the wake of the Young Master's 'death'. The servants were accused of murdering the Young Master. When the Young Earl Trancy and his Butler Claude were found missing as well, a full scale search ensued. When no bodies or evidence was found, it was eventually forgotten. Dropped. A cold case.  
Mey Rin, Bard, Finny and Tanaka were the only ones who knew Young Master Ciel Phantomhive had faked his own death and fled.

Lady Elizabeth was devastated, having lost the entire Phantomhive family that she adored. For a while, she would occassionally visit the servants. She wanted any reason to be close with the people who were close to Ciel. She loved to be in Ciel's mansion, but eventually it only brought her more pain than comfort, so she stopped visiting.

The Phanomhive Manor was lonlier than ever.

Even with Bard by her side, wrapped safely in his arms, Mey Rin felt an all-consuming...

..._emptiness_...


	2. A change of Plans

It was the same routine each and every time.

Sebastian was left waiting in the park by himself, sometimes for hours.  
He patiently waited for his Young Master to return. He often had to leave on 'hunting trips' to quell his insatiable hunger for human souls. Young demons such as Ciel had a notoriously ravenous appetite.  
He was still too young and inexperienced to form contracts with more 'filling' souls.  
He resorted to hunting down the scourges of humanity; criminals and the like. Those living amongst the city who were of no benefit to society. Therefore, would probably never be missed.  
Sebastian, however, was forbidden by contract to devour any other soul besides the one of his Young Master. Since Ciel was turned into a demon, he was now immortal, forever imprisoning Sebastian. As far as he could tell, there were no loopholes.  
Five years had passed since he and the boy left the Manor. Now, eighteen years old, the young demon likely had reached his pique of growth. From what he had seen in pictures, Sebastian compared Ciel to a mirror image of his father; Vincent.  
The boy would age no further.  
As Sebastian found himself weaker by the day, he felt his Young Master becoming more powerful with every soul he consumed. It was almost draining to be in the young demon's presence. A soul he once lusted over and devoted himself to was no more than a nuisance to him now.

The only pleasure Sebastian could derive from this sort of life were the cats.  
Sebastian found there were more stray cats wandering the park than there were people. When the Young Master left him to wait there by the fountains, he found that the time passed more quickly when in the company of his favorite creatures.

Sebastian sighed deeply, taking an orange tabby in his lap. He stroked it lightly, from its head to the base of its tail. The cat began to purr quite audibly, Sebastian delighted in the way it sounded and felt against his hands. He couldn't help but smile.  
The cat pursued this attention and made its way into Sebastian's lap as he sat criss-crossed on the grass. She mewed softly and rolled on her back, exposing her underbelly.  
"My, my, you certainly got comfortable quickly didn't you?"  
Sebastian said to the cat as he obliged with a tummy rub. He couldn't help but notice her bulging tummy, he could feel small little lumps as he traced his fingers over it.  
"Goodness, you're heavy with kittens too." he marveled. The thought of having a horde of tiny cats all to himself caused him to smile even wider.  
The Young Master would never allow Sebastian a cat, let alone a whole litter of baby ones. It seemed Sebastian wasn't allowed an inkling of happiness or joy.  
The mere thought of kittens made Sebastian pine for the old days back at the Mansion. 'Kitten' was Sebastian's nickname for Mey Rin ever since they had been close.  
He thought about the servants, as annoying and incompetent as they were, he wondered how they were doing.  
Were they still in the Mansion? Did they leave on their own? Or are they all still together?  
He hoped Mey Rin had moved on with her life, knowing well that she probably did not simply brush off their absence. As he gazed down at the plump little cat in his lap, he hoped she was happy out there somewhere, possibly with little 'kittens' of her own.

"There you are."

The demon's quiet moment was cut short, he turned his head, glaring daggers into his Young Master.  
"Finished already?" he responded flatly. "My, you are certainly getting good at hunting aren't you?"  
Sebastian set aside the orange cat, brushing off excess cat hair as he stood up. 

Sebastian wondered why he had not sensed his Master's return.  
Were the cats that distracting to him?  
He felt his senses were beginning to dull.  
He was becoming weak, and he could feel it by the day.

"We have a problem." the Young Lord said, his voice deep and certain.

Sebastian fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"And that would be what exactly?"

"We must return to London." was his only response.

Sebastian cocked an eyebrow at his Master. "You know we can't." he said simply. "Wouldn't you rather everyone believe you were dead than a demon? That was your reasoning behind leaving in the first place."

"I know. But, I'm not going to explain this to you right now. We must leave tonight._ That's an order_."  
Ciel's eyes flashed a brilliant red, his body alive and fueled by the nourishment of human souls. He turned away, leading Sebastian back home.  
Sebastian could sense his power; his energy that radiated from him was almost intimidating.  
Young Demons were wild, thoughtless and barbaric. A nuisance really. Though Sebastian was weak, he was still much stronger than Ciel.

"Yes, my Lord." he responded obediently as he followed suit. "I shall pack our things and have the carriage ready immediately."

The demon couldn't say he was disappointed in the sudden change. But something told him this wasn't a good idea.  
"Just where exactly do you think we will stay in London?" Sebastian inquired. "Everyone believes you to be dead."  
Ciel slowed his pace a bit and turned to the demon.  
"We're going back to the Mansion."

Sebastian scoffed. "If there still is a Mansion left you mean.."  
"Trust me." Ciel responded, "Its still there."  
"And the servants? I'm sure they'll be_ delighted_ to see us." Sebastian was really laying the sarcasm on thick.

Ciel simply ignored it.

"They never left. They have no where else to go."


	3. Ensnared

"Oh dear, I do believe its drizzling outside..."  
Sebastian gazed out the window, looking at the clouds in disdain. Thunder rolled ominously in the distance as the sky turned darker.

"Pack faster and we can be out of town before it gets worse."  
Ciel replied, throwing a balled up pile of clothing into a random bag.  
The two didn't carry many belongings; a few changes of clothes as well as a few pairs of shoes.

"I am already finished, Young Master."  
Sebastian replied, setting the last of the suitcases atop of the dining room table.

Sebastian and Ciel had been, for a lack of a better word, _nomadic_.  
This time around, they took shelter in a small loft; just big enough for two tenants. It wasn't much, but it sufficed.  
It was enough to appear normal to other humans.

It even had two beds, a small dining room, and a fireplace; none of which really held much use to the demons.  
But of course, the time came once again, perhaps a bit too soon.  
It wouldn't be the first time they had to pack up and leave on a moments notice.

"Alright then, let us head out then." Ciel commanded hastily.

"Perhaps we can wait to leave until morning, my Lord?" Sebastian suggested, just as Ciel laid his hand on the doorknob. "I'm sure you will feel differently about what is bothering you in the morning."

"No." Ciel responded coldly, swinging the door open defiantly.

Sebastian gritted his teeth at his Master's stubbornness. His eyes glimmered threateningly as he strode across the room. Sebastian slammed the door shut, causing the Young Lord to jump back in surprise.  
"We are not going anywhere until you explain to me what the urgency is all about."  
Sebastian said calmly, folding his arms as he leaned against the door. Now blocking the young demon's exit.

"Excuse me?" Ciel smirked, daring his Butler to repeat his words. "Would you remind repeating what you just said, Sebastian? I don't think I heard you correctly. It sort of sounded like you were refusing your orders."

"I do apologize, my Lord." Sebastian replied, the sarcasm thick. "Did I stutter?"

"_What?!_"

Ciel bared his teeth angrily, his eyes glowed a bright crimson as he balled his fists at his side. Sebastian had never refused orders so blatantly before.  
Sebastian never wavered, he smiled in amusement as his Master fumed with anger.  
"You're still a child." Sebastian said simply, looking his Lord in the eye. "Even by demon standards, you're still weak, but you're also unpredictable. Don't you think you're being a bit hasty?"

Ciel's expression softened, but not by much. He unclenched his fists and turned away, breaking the intensity of their eye contact.

"I was going to wait to show you, but I guess I have no choice..."

Ciel opened his small black briefcase; where he kept what few photographs he had left of his loved ones. Sebastian still scoffed at the idea. Ciel was no where near the demon his Butler was. He still wasn't able to cast away his previous life. He still couldn't accept the fact that he was no longer the Ciel everyone else knew.  
He was a monster, and as heartless and cold as the Young Master was to begin with, he still couldn't abandon what was left of his humanity.  
Of course, Sebastian didn't know anything about humans who became demons. As far as he was concerned, he had been a demon all his life. Whether or not he was a human at one point or not no longer concerned him. For he must have forgotten it all...

"Here. Have a look for yourself."

Ciel retrieved a folded up newspaper and tossed it to his Butler. Sebastian cast his Master a questioning gaze before opening it up.  
There on the front page was Lizzy, now grown up, and accompanied by a familiar looking Butler...  
Sebastian's jaw simply fell open as his eyes scanned the content of the article.  
Just before Ciel left London, he left a small Will behind.  
He specifically stated that he wanted the Funtom Company to go to Elizabeth, since she was promised it through her marriage to Ciel.

The article was about the Funtom Company expanding to other countries, as well as an announcement of a new line of products that would soon be available.

"Does that Butler look familiar to you?" Ciel said.

Sebastian's eyes widened, for the first time in a very long time, he was at a loss for words.

"_Claude_?!" he finally choked out. "But..._how_?!"

"How indeed." Ciel replied. "Do you understand the urgency now?"

Sebastian folded the newspaper once more, as if disgusted at having to see Claude's face again. He tossed it aside and regained his composure.

"Oh my, is my Young Master still having feelings towards his betrothed?"

Ciel made an unpleasant noise of annoyance as he jumped to his feet.  
"Don't be ridiculous." he scoffed. "What if Lizzy wished to have me back? Would I not end up there eventually anyway?"

"How do you know she wished for Claude to bring you back?"

"I don't. I'm only assuming so. Either way, i'm not letting Lizzy make deals with _demons_."

(A/N-Oh dear, I appologize for the very short chapters. I am quite ashamed at myself for doing so. -_-  
I promise the best has yet to come)


End file.
